TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Press Council has announced Monday, January 28 that the mysterious tabloid Indonesia Barokah is not a journalistic work. Hence, the police could examine a possible crime in light of the distribution of the unregistered media.

Press Council head Yosep Adi Prasetyo said that his institution had analyzed the printed media and its content, and turned out the tabloid did not meet several requirements of journalistic works as stipulated on Law No. 40 of 1999 on the press. “It is not a journalistic work,” Yosep told Tempo.

Yosep explained the tabloid did not have a real editorial office and publisher company and contained fictitious data on its articles. The media did not fulfill the journalistic rules, such as interviews, verification, and confirmation.

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“We will deliver the discussion result and recommendation to the police and Bawaslu (Election Supervisory Board),” he added.

Earlier, Jakarta Metro Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said that the police waited for the study result of Bawaslu and Press Council before starting an investigation into Indonesia Barokah tabloid.

Bawaslu member Fritz Edwar Siregar said that the board had not yet found an indication of violation against election law following the unregistered tabloid Indonesia Barokah. However, Bawaslu in tandem with postal service company PT Pos Indonesia had stopped its distribution which targeting mosques and Islam-based institutions.

AHMAD RAFIQ | AYU CIPTA | ANDITA RAHMA | M. ROSSENO AJI | FRANSISCO R.